- News «
- News Archives
- Events Calendar
- In the News
- The Photos Page
- Sounds and Sights
- Research & Creative Activity
- Local Media
- University Writing Guide «
- Writing About Wesleyan
- Style Guide
- Sensitive Terminology
- University Timeline
- University Map
- Writing for the Web «
- Our Staff
- Sports
- Publications & Printing
- IWU Magazine
Web Writing Guide
Keep it Short and Simple
It is difficult to read large blocks of text on screen, so keep sentences and paragraphs short.
Follow the University's writing guide to ensure content is consistent and professional.
Keep it Current
Material published on the Illinois Wesleyan Web site represents the University to the world. Remember to review your site regularly.
Only create what you can maintain.
If you publish material that will become outdated, be responsible for removing or updating it. This includes periodically checking that hyperlinks remain valid.
Make it Scannable
Most Web users scan pages before reading, to decide quickly if the information is relevant. Use of these simple elements can help:
- A meaningful title
- Subheadings to break up the text
- One idea per paragraph
- Bulleted lists
- Images or graphics where appropriate
If you need photos for use on your site, please contact University Communications at univcomm@iwu.edu or (309) 556-3181.
Appearances Matter
Follow visual guidelines for Web content.
Use Page Titles
All Web pages should have page titles. This is necessary to identify the page to search engines and browser bookmarks and tabs.
Bear in mind the template will place "Illinois Wesleyan:" preceding the text you type into the title field.
Links
If possible, highlight relevant text as the hyperlink, and avoid using the phrase "click here."
If linking to a pdf, document, mp3 or similar file, alert users with a notation after the link, such as (pdf) or (doc).
Because many Web sites use underlining to indicate links, avoid the use of underlines in your text to prevent confusion. Instead, use bold text (sparingly) for emphasis.
Web Addresses
If offering the URL for a Web page created in the content management system, omit the "2" after www. (This represents a change in 2008 from the original Web server.)
Keep URLs simple. For an index page, it is not necessary to include "index.shtml" in the address. For example: www.iwu.edu/math/ is the same as www.iwu.edu/math/index.shtml
Include Contact Information
The home page of each site should list contact information for the responsible department, including a phone number and e-mail address.
Always include the area code with any phone number. (Don't assume local knowledge; Web visitors may live anywhere in the world.)
Additional Resources
For samples of pages designed according to these guidelines, visit the Physics, History or Biology sites.
For more helpful tips, check out Jakob Nielsen's column on Web usability.
For a review of instructions on using the University's content management system, see the related training tutorials on the Information Technology site.